Dynasty Blueprint: Week Five

Editor's Note: Ryan debuted the Dynasty Blueprint term all the way back in 2014, focusing on his personal dynasty strategy and philosophy. He introduced ideas like punting running backs and the now-common productive struggle. This series expands on the original, providing an in-depth look inside his dynasty mind.

This is my personal weekly Dynasty Blueprint. Here, you’ll find my “Game Notes,” which comes directly from my fantasy football notebook, along with multiple post-game conversations with others. In the “Game Play” section, I’ll explain what I’m doing with my personal dynasty teams, including waiver wire targets and trade ideas. Finally, “Game Theory” will focus on dynasty strategy.

GAME NOTES

Bears vs. Commanders

Justin Fields is back! Dynasty managers spent the first three weeks of the season trashing the Bears quarterback before he put together back-to-back games scoring as a top-four fantasy scorer. Now, we fantasy players have new information to consider as part of Fields’ value profile. In the past two weeks, Fields has done his damage as a passer. There have been six times this season in which a quarterback passed for four touchdowns. Fields has two of those in the past two weeks. He is still not getting it done as a runner, especially compared to his record-breaking performances last season. Ultimately, the Bears will determine Fields’ value when they settle on their 2024 starter.

Jaguars vs. Bills

James Cook suffered through the worst game of his young career as he carried just five times for -4 yards against the Jaguars defense early Sunday morning. Cook did catch three passes for 25 yards but that couldn’t hide his hideous rushing performance. Even if you excuse Cook’s Week Five game, his usage over the past month gives us reason to worry. Cook’s touches have decreased each of the past four games, dropping from 21 in Week Two to 18, 13, and now just nine against the Jaguars. Cook will need to remain in fantasy lineups but he is a player I would be looking to sell, perhaps in exchange for a perceived lesser back and rookie draft compensation.

Giants vs. Dolphins

Another week, another amazing performance from rookie De'Von Achane. In Week Five, Achane joined impressive company as he rushed for 151 yards and a touchdown, joining Barry Sanders and Mike Anderson as the only rookies in league history to rush for 100+ yards and a score in three straight games. In Achane’s case, that happened to come in the first three games he played extensive minutes.

Unfortunately, the Achane news was not all positive. The rookie suffered a knee injury last in the game that will reportedly land him on IR and put him out of action for multiple weeks. With Achane already cracking the RB1 range in our latest dynasty ADP and some in the dynasty community already ranking him as a top-three back, it will be interesting to see the reaction to this injury. Given Achane’s diminutive size, this could be all some need to change their mind on the outlook of the young back. I doubt this injury is enough to create a buy-low opportunity for Achane, but I will obviously be making offers and you should too.

Saints vs. Patriots

Given the play for Patriots quarterback Mac Jones, this matchup between the Saints and Patriots was a difficult watch. For the second straight week, Jones was benched in a blowout loss for Bailey Zappe. Reportedly, Jones will draw the start again in Week Six. After their multiple injuries on defense, this Patriots team might be the worst in the league.

The Saints cruised to victory and that allowed rookie running back Kendre Miller to see extended playing time. Miller played a career-high 36% of the team’s snaps, rushing the ball 12 times for 37 yards and adding 53 yards on four receptions. Alvin Kamara continues to lead the way following his return from suspension but expect Miller’s role as backup to continue to grow. I’ll be price-checking Miller in my leagues just to make sure the managers who drafted him are getting frustrated.